The Future of Facelifts May Be In Using Radio Frequency Waves:Baby Boomers Turning to Thermage

by BoomerYearbook.com

Put away your anti-wrinkle, anti-sagging creams; say “No!” to the knife; and turn your back on Botox.  There is a new way of keeping your face looking young and fresh called Thermage.  This new method is yet another discovered benefit of using radio frequency waves.  It was previously found to be quite effective in getting rid of wrinkles, lifting eyebrows and tightening sagging skin around the eyes. In Chicago autumn, (2007)  Dr. Javier Ruiz-Esparza from San Diego, California (the man behind the discovery) told The American Society of Dermatologic Surgery about his findings.

This exciting new breakthrough is said to produce a more natural look than the previous options available for facelifts.  This is so because the heat waves help in distributing the tissue under the skin while cryogen is used to keep the surface of the skin cool.  This is done by alternating cool-hot-cool waves onto the skin.  This produces a tightening and lifting effect of the skin as a result of the heated tissue contracting in response to the cool skin surface.  The entire procedure takes between 30-90 minutes depending on what part of the body you are treating.

Unlike facelift surgery, Thermage does not normally produce immediate results.  In fact, it could take two or three months before you will actually see any result, and a few more before you will look your best.  The reason for this is that the radio frequency waves only use the amount of collagen that is in your face to do the facelift.  However, the waves also stimulate growth of new collagen which occurs over the next few months.  When your face has the appropriate amount of collagen, you’ll notice a significant difference in your looks.   

An advantage to using Thermage to eliminate or reduce wrinkles and sagging is that it is safer than some of the other available choices.  Even though Botox has become very popular, there is very little research as to its long-term effects on the body.  Facelift surgery can cause nerve damage and other complications, especially if done by a surgeon who is not very experienced.  There is, also, no risk of getting skin cancer from using Thermage.

Currently, radio frequency waves work wonders for people with low to medium loss of skin elasticity.  The waves do not react differently to different skin pigmentation in the way some lasers do.  This is very good news for people with dark skin.

Baby Boomers who feel young and want to look fresh would do very well to do some research on Thermage.  It is the perfect solution to someone who’d like to get rid of a few wrinkles and lift a bit of sagging skin here and there.  You’ll feel good knowing that the collagen in your body is all natural; no downtime, nothing invasive.

Share with us your thoughts on this article. Are you excited? Skeptical?  Visit our website and let us know . And check out our other article on radio waves in the treatment of cancer tumors (http://boomeryearbook.com/forum/showthread.php?t=262)

www.boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping Boomers connect for fun and profit.

Accidental Discovery Gives Hope To Alzheimer

by Boomeryearbook.com

During a recent experimental brain surgery to control the appetite of an obese man the doctors made an accidental breakthrough that may very well unlock how your memory works. It was simply a side-effect of the treatment of obesity, but the memory stimulation could potentially pave the road to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

The doctors pushed electrodes deep into the hypothalamus – the section of the brain thought to control appetite – and stimulated it with an electric current. Instead of suppressing the patient’s hunger, the deep brain stimulation unlocked vivid memories of an experience 30 years earlier. This result was nothing short of amazing and has raised the possibility of a pacemaker for the brain. It has also created a path of study now underway for patients with early Alzheimer’s disease.

Professor Andes Lozano, lead researcher of the Toronto Western Hospital, explained that after his team planted the electrodes, memory was most intense near the fornix, a grouping of fibers that carry single signals within the limbic system, which is involved in memory and emotions and is situated next to the hypothalamus.

The patient recalled in detail being in a park with friends and then his girlfriend back when he was about 20. As the electric pulses intensified he was able to relate the scene more vividly. After surgery, the patient recovered for two months, after which the electrodes were fitted in a second time. More tests showed that his ability to learn was significantly improved when the current was switched on and his brain was stimulated. It soon became clear that the patient performed well in memory tests when the electrodes were stimulated but less when they were switched off. 

Professor Lozano, who also teaches neurosurgery at the University of Toronto and is a world authority on DPS, stated that the approach could only address the symptom of forgetfulness. It would not modify the course of the disease but could still prove a useful tool in the fight against dementia. “It gives us insight into which brain structures are involved in memory,” Professor Lozano said. “It gives us a means of intervening in the way we have already done in Parkinson’s and for mood disorders such as depression, and it may have therapeutic benefit in people with memory problems.” 

The technique is now being studied on six Alzheimer’s patients in an initial pilot research. Only three patients could afford to have the device surgically implanted. Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, stated that she is keeping a close eye on this research as it will be interesting to see whether this method offers any benefit to people with Alzheimer’s.

Though accidental, this ‘discovery’ was greatly appreciated and research is already underway to confirm its use as the Alzheimer’s population is expected to double among baby boomers. It has become an amazing achievement in the ongoing battle to tackle the disease and we look forward to its effectiveness on our beloved relatives.

 We at Boomer Yearbook are excited and thrilled by the prospect of this type of Alzheimer’s treatment. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

www.boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping Boomers connect for fun and profit.

by BoomerYearbook.com

Just how much difference does having money make? We all know it dramatically affects our lifestyles but beyond the obvious signs, how does it affect our children? Research studies indicate that some children from low income families, between the ages of 9 and 10, have adversely affected brain functioning due to financial poverty. The saddest part of these findings is that the damage is so severe as to be equivalent to damage caused by a stroke! 

Many stroke victims suffer prefrontal cortex lesions. This is the area of the brain that houses the problem solving skills and superior or executive judgment and thinking. Researcher Mark Kiskiyams, a cognitive psychologist at the University of California-Berkeley, found that  9 to 10 year old children from the low-income families studied, showed the same pattern of prefrontal difficulties as stroke victims.  Kiskiyams’ study has been combined with other evidence to suggest that poverty adversely affects the child’s brain. It is known that there are detrimental effects caused from malnutrition, stress, toxic environments, and illiteracy. But many boomer adults are surprised to learn that the neural systems of poverty stricken children do not develop the same way as do those from middle income class children. Growing up in poverty has a direct effect on the development of linguistic skills. In addition damages can include that the child cannot plan properly, recall details or even concentrate sufficiently to understand school work. If this problem is recognized then it can be dealt with. It requires intensive intervention and time. It is a call to action for adults and educators as exercises such as focused lessons and games need to be structured to get these children to think out loud or use their executive functions. It is now becoming all the more important to consider how a child’s experience, (i.e. environment or nurture) affects brain function.

In poor third world countries, the outward effects of poverty, particularly children’s poverty is all too evident. It’s not hard to see a child with sunken eyes and a swollen tummy and know that this little one is starving. However, there is no excuse for poverty stricken children in the developed countries of the world. Yes, it’s true we don’t see the outward signs of poverty that we have just mentioned, but are we so blind that we cannot see the inward signs of those suffering in rich developed countries? We are not discussing the depths of poverty, only the periphery of it – low income families. Are these conditions so prevalent that it is affecting the very minds and healthy growth of our children? If so then we need to stand up, take notice and act upon giving all children equal opportunity. Naturally every family is unique and there are individual circumstances. Not all low income problems can be solved in the same answer. The goal should be to address the problems that can be rectified and at least eradicate some of them.

Boomers; we need a call to action. We changed the world once. We are not done yet.  We need to get involved and make a difference.

We at Boomer Yearbook welcome your thoughts and comments. Join now and make your voice heard.

www.boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping Boomers connect for fun and profit.

by Boomeryearbook.com

Tinnitus is basically a noise or “strange sound” that develops within the ear rather than from the outside environment. This can occur in either one or both ears; with a frequent onset during a baby boomers 50’s or 60’s. These sounds have been described as different noises constantly playing in the ear, whether ringing, buzzing, humming, whistling or any similar sound. These episodes are uncontrollable and are often accompanied by various other symptoms; such as dizziness, pain in the ear, a sense of fullness in the ears and headaches. Tinnitus can affect anyone at any given time, but thanks to the wonderful workers at Beltone, we can all kiss our tinnitus problems away with just a little hearing aid.

Your Brain At Work
Beltone is a worldwide hearing brand that makes it their point of duty to provide quality solutions to the hearing impaired. They develop solutions to hearing problems that keep your needs as the point of focus. They have manufactured and distributed hearing aids that continue to evolve as they study tinnitus more intensively.  They have now come up with a different concept of tinnitus. They believe that tinnitus is simply perception in the brain, that upon noticing the tinnitus sound, a strong negative emotional response is triggered. As you begin to focus on the strange sound then your brain loses the ability to filter out irrelevant noises before it reaches consciousness. Due to this fact, they believe that by retraining the brain to filter out these irrelevant noises you should be able to get rid of this disturbance. Your clinician will be able to help you find relief with a combination of counseling and acoustic therapy using their signature Beltone Tinnitus Breaker (a hearing aid).

Acoustic Therapy
During acoustic therapy, the Beltone Tinnitus Breaker is used to help gradually reduce your focus from the tinnitus sound and guide your brain to change its response to the tinnitus. Eventually your negative perception and frustrated feelings will be reduced.  Through counseling your clinician will help you understand what exactly tinnitus is, why it affects you and how you can reduce these episodes.  He will also urge you to keep in mind that the treatment for tinnitus may take several months.  It is also very important that you maintain a healthy lifestyle when combating tinnitus as you will be required to fight the natural inclination to isolate yourself and avoid too many different sounds.  Be sure to relax as much as possible, you may find that meditation helps as well as a healthy diet and exercising regularly.
You may be required to wear the Beltone Tinnitus Breaker for up to eight hours a day and improvements can occur in as little as the first three months.  However, a long term successful treatment may require you to have acoustic therapy sessions for one year or more as managing your progress is an important part of your acoustic therapy. Simply a small price we must pay to regain our full hearing abilities.
So which would you prefer? Spending a lifetime of irritating sounds, with headaches, and feeling frustrated twenty–four hours a day or enrolling in the Beltone acoustic sessions and beginning to once again hear only the sounds that you want to hear?

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www.boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping Boomers connect for fun and profit.

New Stem Cells Research May Mean Possible Improvements In Your Hearing

by Boomeryearbook.com

Stem cells occur naturally in the human body.  They are not blood cells, nerve cells, brain cells or any other kind of cell.   In fact, they have no identity by themselves — at least not yet.  They can, however, develop into different types of cells, replacing cells that have been damaged or are somehow, defective.  They have the ability to clone themselves and make more stem cells.  Adult stem cells, which exist in mature body tissue and organs, continuously renew their numbers as needed throughout an individual’s life, replacing damaged cells as needed.   It is this fact that caused researchers to wonder if these stem cells could correct hearing loss.
When the outer ear captures the sound waves traveling through the air and then directs it into the ear canal it is said that hearing occurs.  This is where you find the tympanic membrane (ear drum) and the three smallest bones in the human body namely, the stirrup, hammer and anvil.  You will also find the cochlea, a snail–shaped organ that contains delicate, hair–like nerve fibers that translate sound waves into electrical impulses that are, in turn, transmitted to the brain. The hair–like nerve fibers are very delicate and can be damaged or impaired very easily due to age, disease, exposure to loud noise and other medical and non–medical conditions.  Hearing–loss, most often permanent in nature, is the result of the damage to these nerves.
With this in mind, a group of researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine under the instruction of Dr. Eri Hashino, Ph. D., set out to find out if they could transform cell nerves into sensory nerve cells, called neurons.  To do this, they took stem nerves from the bone marrow of lab mice and transformed it into cells that had numerous characteristics similar to neurons.  Neurons transmit sound from the outside world to the brain where the sound is processed and interpreted.  These results suggest the possibility to re-grow and replace damaged neurons with the stem cells taken from bone marrow.
Dr. Hashino stated that their interest in the marrow cells was due to their potential use in autologous cell-based therapy (using stem cells from a patient as a part of that patient’s treatment).  They were ideal for use as the bone marrow cells are easily collected and can be kept alive in the laboratory until needed.
Around the same time of Dr. Hashino’s experiments, additional research was conducted in Tokyo.  These studies revealed that the bone marrow stem cells injected into a damaged ear can speed hearing recovery after partial hearing loss. It showed that some re–growth of cochlear fibrocytes is possible after these cells have been damaged.  However, only partial recovery was observed over a period of weeks, but patients who experience traumatic hearing loss tend to permanently lose their ability to hear high frequency sounds.
Research on the practical use of a patient’s stem cells to restore or improve hearing is just beginning.

Animal studies indicate the potential to regenerate the nerves that convert sound waves into electrical impulses that are subsequently delivered to the brain for processing.  Today, the future looks bright for restoring the sense of hearing to those who have lost or are losing it.
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www.boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping Boomers connect for fun and profit.